Laser skin resurfacing can help reduce lines, wrinkles, blemishes, or acne scars. It's used to treat a variety of skin conditions and is known by several other names - lasabrasion, laser peel, and laser vaporization. The technique involves concentrated, pulsating light beams that are directed at irregular skin. Layer by layer, skin is very precisely removed to create a smoother skin surface.
Why It Is Done
Laser resurfacing may be used to remove or improve the appearance of:
Wrinkles.
Superficial scars caused by acne, surgery, or trauma that are not growing or that are getting thicker.
Color (pigment) changes or defects in the skin,
Lesions or growths in the upper layer of skin (such as birthmarks). Any growth that could be malignant should be evaluated using a biopsy before laser resurfacing is done.
Tattoos. These are often removed using a special laser, called a Q-switched laser that can remove specific colors from your skin.
Unwanted hair, by using heat from the laser to destroy the opening in the skin where hair grows (hair follicles).
Am I a Good Candidate for this Treatment?
Ideal candidates are people with fine lines or wrinkles around the eyes, mouth, or on the forehead, scars from acne, or skin that needs correcting after a facelift.
The Procedure:
Both erbium and CO2 lasers used in these procedures can very precisely vaporize superficial, damaged skin cells. Laser treatments involve very short pulsed light energy or continuous light beams that are delivered in a scanning pattern to very precisely remove skin cells.
CO2 laser skin resurfacing is used to treat wrinkles, scars, warts, birthmarks, enlarged oil glands on the nose (rhinophyma), skin cancer, and other conditions. Erbium laser skin resurfacing is designed to remove superficial and moderately deep lines and wrinkles on the face, hands, neck, or chest.
Wrinkles around the eyes, mouth, or forehead may be treated individually, or a full-face laser skin resurfacing can be performed.
How long will the treatment last?
A partial-face laser skin resurfacing takes from 30-45 minutes and the full-face treatment takes about two hours.
Hospital Stay
Not required
Temporary Side Effects:
Most commonly, you may feel like you have mild sunburn. There will be slight swelling and redness of the skin that generally fades within the first two to three months.
Recovery:
The time needed for healing and recovery after laser resurfacing varies according to the size and depth of the treated area. Someone who has the full face resurfaced will require a longer recovery time than someone who has only a small area of skin treated.
Five to seven days after laser resurfacing, your skin will become dry and peel. You may experience itching or stinging for 12 to 72 hours after the procedure. Some people have more severe pain.
New skin will form after the treated area has been peeled. This skin will at first appear pink. Liberal amounts of sunscreen and moisturizer are necessary to protect this new skin. The pinkness should begin to gradually lighten for up to a year after treatment.
Results:
Depending on the technique used, results can last for many years -- although new wrinkles may form as the skin ages